When The Sky Falls
by Nyx159
Summary: "To die would be an awfully big adventure." Naru/Saku/Sasu. AU. Inspired by Peter Pan
1. Prologue

Naru/Saku/Sasu. AU. Inspired by Peter Pan

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A/N: Peter Pan has always been one of my favourite novels. I disclaim Peter Pan, and Naruto.

Chapter summary: As soon as I open my eyes, it's all gone. There is only dead silence. I think— I might be going mad.

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**When the Sky Falls**

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.

_Sometimes at night, I leave my window open.  
Then I hear the noises.  
Laughter. Voices.  
The soft tinkling of bells._

.

She thinks summer is coming early this year. Outside her classroom window, she sees it. All that bloomed in the spring, shrivelling under the sunrays. The smell of withered grass and heat. Exhaust, smoke— fire. Sakura Haruno hides her smile, staring down at her hands resting on her lap.

Her fingers are pale and long, her palms smooth to the touch. She has never known labour, never needed to lift a finger in her life.

But lately she's awfully tired. Her eyes are dry and ringed with shadows. Sleepless, somehow, but that doesn't make sense at all. Especially because lately, she's been having wonderful dreams. And you can't dream unless you're asleep and she dreams the whole night. And the dreams leave her sighing.

She sees mermaids and dancing. A land full of vibrant, colourful flowers and trees. She sees herself drifting through clouds, soaring through the sky—

"Sakura."

Her dad's voice is clipped.

She looks up and meets his concerned gaze. "Yes?"

"Your teacher asked you a question. Twice."

She looks to her teacher. "Yes?"

"Your dad mentioned you had trouble sleeping lately. We're just wondering if you've been having trouble in school… I understand you've only recently moved to Sand and you might be finding that adjusting to life here is— difficult, but we've very concerned. You always seem very distracted in class, and your grades are— slipping. Is there anything we can do for you, to help you in any way at all?"

"No."

"No?"

"No."

They look unimpressed. Her dad prompts, "You've been having nightmares."

"Oh, no," Sakura says, eyes widening. "Just dreams. Beautiful dreams."

"And they occupy your thoughts?" her teacher says, and when she nods, he continues. "Why don't you tell us about them."

It isn't a question, so she nods hastily. "There's this place. It's called… the Land of Fire—"

"Which doesn't exist," her dad cuts in with a disapproving curl of his lip.

"No, it does," Sakura says, barely hiding her flinch at the accusation. "And it's beautiful. There are mountains and trees and little boys. And… I always see these two boys, about my age. One of them has blond hair and blue eyes— and he flies, dad—"

"Nonsense."

"But he does!" she insists. "And the other has dark hair and— red eyes—"

"Suppose he can fly too?" he sounds mocking. Sakura isn't sure whether she is hurt or offended.

"No," she says. "It's just the blond boy. And I see them in my dreams. All the time— in that place, the Land of Fire—"

"And you get there by falling asleep?"

"No," Sakura says, her brow furrowing. "There's something. Something about a star that would lead you there—"

But they've heard enough. They cut her off, and she shuts her mouth.

.

_But as soon as I open my eyes,  
it's all gone.  
There is only dead silence._

.

Her dad grabs hold of her arm and shoves her into the car. Sakura barely stops herself from stumbling. She hears the car door slam twice and cringed each time, because she knows that she's going to get it now. Her dad doesn't believe in nonsense. You don't speak nonsense when he's around.

But Sakura is so sure of what she sees each night. They always seem so real, and she can always smell the air, _taste _it. But none of it matters today, or at all, really. And it is so unfair that what her dad can't experience should therefore not exist. But fair or not, she really shouldn't have forgotten that golden rule.

"Stop speaking nonsense," her dad barks.

And scared, she nods, biting her tongue.

.

_Dear diary, I think I'm going mad._

.

Still, the dreams come anyway.

"Hey Sakura-chan!" the blond boy says jovially. He is balancing, crouched, on the post at the foot of her bed. She stretches awake and her eyes dart to the open window, then to her bedroom door. It's open just a crack, but beyond it is purely dark. Smiling, Sakura slips out of the covers and crawls to his waiting arms.

"Ready to go?"

He asks her this every night.

It's dark in her room but his eyes are bright and twinkling like fire, and he looks so warm that she can easily swear that he is real.

And dreaming or not, she thinks so already.

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A/N: Just testing the waters with this prologue. Tell me what you think.

Review, please.


	2. 1

**When the Sky Falls**

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"_Please come back," she begs._

_._

The daylight hours stretch into eternity. Sakura sits and reads and writes and sighs by her window, ever waiting for night. As much as the summer heat reminds her of the Land of Fire, she hates that she isn't there, whether it is in reality or in her dreams no longer seems to matter anymore. It's been two weeks. As much as she is warmly tucked in her bed, sleeping soundly, the vivid dreams elude her.

There is no colour, no vibrancy and no laughter.

There is nothing, and it scares her.

Her dad now takes her to a doctor, another to add on the list of people who will never believe her. Sakura's irritation with her is only stifled by the fact that this doctor entertains her more than her dad does. But then again, that is what this doctor is paid for.

"Have you been having any trouble sleeping lately?" is always the first question asked.

"No."

"No?"

"No."

"You seem… troubled," the doctor notes today, resting her chin on her folded palms.

Sakura frowns. "I hate it here. I want to go back."

"Home?"

"I suppose," Sakura says, turning her gaze to the window. The sun is high in the sky, and she sees the heat radiate and ripple over the drying, dying land. She frowns. The Land of Fire is much greener. It flourishes under the sun, and there is always colour and life. She thinks it could be home, because home is where the heart is.

Her heart is beating in her chest, she feels it, hears it. But it feels torn and hollowed out, like it is saving for a purpose much larger than the need to keep her alive. Her heart beats, aches for a place in the stars. It is one of the only things left that keep her believing.

.

It is in the middle of the summer when her dad has had enough. He doesn't say it to her face, but mealtimes and all the other times they spend together become tense. Sakura sits frozenly across him at dinner, noiselessly accepts and drinks the hot chocolate he offers her before bed, and passes him coolly any other time. She and her dad never really speak anymore.

Sakura hates it that he won't believe her. She hates it that she sounds mad to begin with.

One morning, she passes his office and overhears the worst.

"This has gotten out of hand, doctor. She still insists her dreams are real! ... Of course she's taking the sleeping pills— I put them in her drinks myself. But dreamless sleep or not she still believes in that nonsense!... No. I'm afraid you were right after all. Maybe she has gone— mad… Alright, fine. I'll make arrangements. I'll take her to the psychiatric ward tomorrow."

Stunned speechless and definitely horrified, Sakura runs. The hallways turn winding, twisting and suffocating her. She crashes into her room and falls onto the floor, gasping for air. Her lungs hurt, her heart is clenching, and she wants to scream, but people will hear. So she cries quietly, holding her head tightly because her thoughts are racing for a way to escape what's to come tomorrow.

Later, her father comes to bid her goodnight.

She doesn't drink the hot chocolate he places at her bedside.

.

It rains heavily that night, but Sakura leaves her windows open anyway.

Wide awake, but desperate to fall asleep, she tries to fight the urge to down the drugged drink. That won't give her dreams. But the storm won't lend them to her either. She lies in bed, tossing and turning, tearing off the comforter and wrapping it around her. It becomes a little game of tiring herself out.

And then she sees lightning flashing, casting bright light into her room. The thunder, roaring above the sound of wind. Sakura sees her bedroom floor growing wet with rain. Her clock reads two in the morning, and the dreams are not coming tonight. Her heart begins to beat so hard she chokes. She'll be institutionalised tomorrow. The least she could do for herself is to give herself one last happiness. The least she could do for herself tonight is dream.

Only the dreams aren't coming tonight, it seems.

"No, no, no—" she starts, and stumbles out of bed. Are the stars out tonight? She needs them to shine. Her dreams _are _real.

Lightning flashes again. She sees her own shadow cast onto the wall, and— another shadow behind her. She almost screams, but a warm, callused hand wraps clasps over her mouth.

"Shh," says its owner, and she realises the voice is so painfully familiar. "There's this man in the house, and he's still awake. Don't want him to hear us."

Sakura nods, excitement and trepidation warring in her. She doesn't remember falling asleep, but the blond boy seems to be right here, as she is awake. And that doesn't make sense. He's a character in her dreams— and to dream, you need to be fast asleep, otherwise maybe you really are insane—

No.

No, he _feels _real. He's right here. Tonight.

With her.

Again, another flash of lightning. Sakura spins in his arms, and sees blue eyes illuminated like fire. The blond boy is grinning widely, and – her knees are weakening with the shock— holding her steady. "Hi there," he says.

"You're real!" she rushes out.

"Well, of course I am," the boy says.

"I mean," Sakura says hastily. "I'm not— dreaming, am I? I've only ever seen you when I was—"

"Dreaming?" the boy finishes. He lets her go, suddenly, running a hand through his hair. It's wet with rain, much like the rest of him. Sakura thinks he should be freezing with the wind blowing his way, but he seems undaunted. He starts to pace. "I thought I was too, you know. I thought I was going crazy, but you seemed so real— I've been tearing Fire apart just looking for you."

"How'd you find me— here?" Sakura asks softly.

"I didn't," he tells her. "Find you, I mean. You led me here."

And he tilts his head aside, scrunches his nose, and scratches the back of his head. The move is all sorts of endearing that she almost flushes. Sakura notices whisker-like marks stretching at the side of his cheeks, and realises she doesn't remember them from her dreams. Actually, she doesn't seem to remember much of him at all, apart from the fact that he is like radiant sunshine, and that he is who leads her to the Land of Fire.

She doesn't even remember his name.

"How'd you get here?" she asks.

"The window," he says. "You always leave it open. I don't usually like to go outside when it's all rainy, but— I don't know. I haven't seen any trace of you in Fire for almost two months and then—" he stops. "You led me here, Sakura-chan."

"That was really, really corny, deadlast," says a voice. The blond boy scowls, and looks to the window sill. Sakura doesn't see who speaks until there is a flash of red.

"Startled at the realisation, she flushes red.

"Whassa matter?" he asks.

She clears her throat. "Well, um. I'm in my pajamas."

He laughs, scratching the back of his head. "That's alright. I look like a drowned lil' puppy. Kind of smell like one too." He shakes his head wildly, and water sprays across the room in all directions.

"I'm Sakura," she says.

"Naruto," he says, smiling wide.

.

_Lightning flashes in the distance, illuminating blue eyes like fire._

"_Follow me," he whispers. "I'll take you home."_

.

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A/N: This update took a lot longer than I anticipated. I'm sorry. My stories tend to write themselves, it's hard for me to finish once I've written what I had to write. Please review.


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